


Begin Again

by Meishuu



Category: Martin Mystère | Martin Mystery
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Original Femslash, Personal Growth, Supernatural Elements, Teen Angst, Teenagers, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-13
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2017-12-28 04:24:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/987618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meishuu/pseuds/Meishuu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place after "It's Alive, Part 2". Martin and Diana will have to deal with the consequences of Diana's betrayal and with the future that awaits them beyond Torrington.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Regrets

Diana Lombard placed her pencil on her desk and sighed heavily.

It had only been a week and a half since Octavia Payne’s attack to the Center’s headquarters.  If Diana carefully analyzed what had happened, it was clear that without her collaboration Octavia would never have managed to capture the monster she needed to carry out her experiments, to create that horrifying metamonster.

_Octavia was smarter than you. She manipulated you without even trying._

Diana shook her head. 

_It’s all your fault. You let that woman trick you. You’re a fool, a fool._

She trembled and had to use all her self-control to not shout, to not rise from her seat and run out of the classroom like a maniac. She’d unconsciously begun to scratch the back of her hand, and now her skin —the stratum corneum which is part of the epidermis, Diana said to herself, remembering her biology lessons— was starting to peel off, stinging in an almost unbearable way.   

She swallowed and refocused her gaze on the board. 

After what seemed an eternity, the buzzer finally rang, and the young woman dashed from the classroom, shoving aside the unfortunate students that got in her way, barely muttering an apology.  

She reached her dorm room and made sure to lock the door behind her. It was difficult to breathe, and nausea invaded her again, this time with more strength; she felt as if someone was hammering her head.  She emptied the scarce contents of her stomach in the toilet, splashed her face with water and rinsed her mouth, but nothing of that helped to calm her growing anxiety. 

She was back on Torrington, yes, but things weren’t back to normal yet. 

Diana wondered if they ever were going to be.

After the fight against Octavia and her metamonster, Diana had been forced to spent many days submerged in a healing tank at the Center, to get rid of the mutation she’d been subjected during her “stay” at the CIHL; she looked like herself again, with a small exception: a thin layer of reptile skin still covered her body, and it was shedding in an unpleasantly slowly way. At times, she couldn’t help but turn her head around or stand in front a mirror to check the base of her spine, searching for any protuberance; she lived in perpetual fear of growing again a lizard tail or an extra pair of eyelids, not to mention the greenish hue her skin had acquired, and that it still could be seen sometimes, especially if one looked closely. 

And what would happen if her mutation appeared again? How could she explain it to her classmates? She was certain she’d become a pariah.

“Diana, are you in there? Are you all right?” She heard Jenni’s voice through the main door. “Diana?”

For the second time in the day, Diana felt a knot in her stomach and wished to disappear. She swallowed hard and carefully got closer to the door.

“I’m fine, Jenni. I think today’s lunch didn’t sit well with me,” she answered through the door, trying to make her voice sound relaxed.

“Oh. I see,” Jenni said, and after an uncomfortable pause asked, “Hey, can I come in?”

Diana sighed with resignation, opened the door and beckoned her friend to enter.

“Jenni…”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Of course, just no more spicy food for me, at least for a while,” Diana explained quickly, waving her hand in a disparaging way.  This conversation was nothing but a waste of time, she gained nothing talking about the matter at hand, and it wasn’t like she  _could_  talk about it with anyone at the academy, much less with Jenni.

She was utterly alone.

“Diana, as your best friend, it’s my responsibility to tell you when you’re acting weird,” recited the redhead half-jokingly, her hands resting on her hips.

“Weird? Come on, you’re exaggerating, I just have a stomach-ache and a bit of nausea, but it’s nothing serious. In fact, I think I’m going to take a nap. Yes, that’ll make me feel better,” babbled Diana, barely stopping to catch her breath between every sentence.

_After I’m done with my homework, of course_ , she thought. There was no way she’d leave her homework half-done. She was Diana Lombard, and even when she was feeling as if her head was about to explode from sheer pain, even when all she wanted was to close her eyes and put all her worries aside, she would finish her school work.

She had lost enough time with The Center and its missions, sacrificing her grades and even her chance to be accepted into a good university; they had never thanked her for it and, evidently, they never would.

It was unfair.

Jenni confidently strode across the room and sat on the edge bed, beckoning for Diana to join her. Diana obeyed and sat beside her, still not convinced of the usefulness of this “friendly talk”, and without fully understanding why Jenni acted as if she  _owned_  the room.

“Okay, Diana, what’s really going on with you? Lately, you’ve been very quiet, even distracted, and today you ran out the classroom, you didn’t even stay to ask the teacher some questions!”

“I already told you, it’s only a stomach-ache. Why do always have to make a mountain out of a molehill?” Diana snapped.

“I’m only worried about you…”

“I know,  _I know_ …” Diana answered, shifting her gaze to the floor. 

Jenni was her best friend at the Academy and, even when her desire to speak with her about her feelings was almost overwhelming, she  _had_  to keep her mouth shut; her best friend hadn’t the slightest idea regarding her “part-time job”, or the double life she was currently living. What was she supposed to say to Jenni? It wasn’t like she could tell her about The Center, or about the unfair evaluation that resulted in a public humiliation for her; she couldn’t tell her that Martin, her immature and obnoxious stepbrother, wasn’t as useless as he appeared. 

She absolutely couldn't tell her that it was possible her step brother was simply better than her at something.

“Come on, besides the food thing, it’s obvious there’s something else bothering you.” Jenni folded her arms over her chest. “I know lately you hadn’t been on many dates, and it’s not like there are interesting guys at Torrington, but we could always go to the town, huh?”

The casual and almost shamelessly way in which Jenni made that comment managed to snap Diana out of reverie. The girl couldn’t help but look at her friend with utter disbelief. Was that the only thing she had on her mind? Did Jenni though that she, Diana Lombard, would act in such…  _pathetic_  way just because of a boy? Of course, she was also interested in boys, and there were times when she dreamt about the idea of dating a good-looking and well-mannered boy, but she had never given it  _much_  importance, nor she’d been depressed because of it. After all, there were much more important things that required her attention.

Perhaps she couldn’t blame Jenni for her naiveté, perhaps she was being too harsh. While it was true that Jenni was somewhat superficial, even a bit selfish, she’d always been there when she needed a shoulder to cry on; even so, deep down, she doubted that her friend could understand the gravity of her current situation: Jenni was a mere high school student, not a secret agent that faced monsters and aliens, or that was forced to save the world every other week.

How could she explain that her, Diana, the girl with the best grades on the academy, left herself be manipulated so easily? How to explain to her that her lack of judgment resulted on a mistake that cost the lives of many people?

Diana clenched her fists. No, it was better not to think about that “detail”.

 “No. It’s not about a boy,” answered finally Diana.

“Oh. Then what’s this about? Did you fail a test?” Jenni scratched her chin, deep in thought. “Don’t tell me Martin played another of his childish pranks on you?”

“Yes, something like that. He practically humiliated me in public.”

Diana wasn’t entirely lying. The whole mess with Octavia Payne started because of Martin, his inability to keep his mouth shut and, above all, his lack of empathy. His endless teasing and his arrogance had compelled her to join the CIHL.

Yes. It was all Martin’s fault.

 “That boy never learns,” Jenni said clicking her lounge. “I swear he’s just like a little kid, and just as obnoxious. He’s sometimes intolerable, but I don’t think you should let that depress you, Di.”

Diana cracked a smile. At least she could complain to someone about her stepbrother, to her heart’s content. It was something that had always united them: both were tired of having to deal with Martin and his constant nonsense.

“It’s just always the same thing, Jenni. He always has to do something… something stupid, and I have to clean up his mess, or put myself out there for him.”

“Oh, Diana, forget about that already. I know you tend to bear grudges but this isn’t worth it, trust me. We all know your brother is an idiot most of the time but, like I said, you shouldn’t let that affect you. Martin’s not worth it.”

“I know, Jenni. Believe me, I know.” Diana narrowed her eyes toward her friend and arched an eyebrow. Jenni’s answer had taken her by surprise. “I don’t bear grudges, do I?”

“Well, yes, but only sometimes, especially when it’s about Martin. Although it’s not like I blame you for it, he annoys everyone.” The girl shrugged, then looked down at her watch with surprise in her eyes. “Look at the time! I’m sorry Diana but I need to go; my gymnastic practice starts in a few minutes, and I’m already running late, that said, if you need anything…”

“I’ll call you,” murmured Diana almost automatically.

“Promise me, okay?” said Jenni, concern palpable in her voice. She stood up and smoothed out the wrinkles of her black mini-skirt.

“I promise. See you later, Jenni, and thanks for listening,” Diana answered wearily, as she accompanied her friend to the door.

“It’s no big deal, and I mean it, if you need to talk to someone let me know. If you want, after my practice, we can go for a coffee,” Jenni said, winking at her.

“Of course, Jenni. Thank you very much, really,” mumbled Diana.

_I’m fine_ , _I must be,_ Diana said to herself, once again. Jenni crossed her arms and looked at her with scepticism; nevertheless, in the end she seemed to accept her friend’s words, because she left for her gymnastics practice muttering a “see you later”.

Diana was restless until she saw the shadow of Jenni disappear under the door and the sound of her footsteps got lost in the halls. She lay face down on her bed while trying to forget, at least for a couple of hours, the events that led her to this point.

 

* * *

 

Diana woke up until late at night. She had no idea how long she’d been sleeping, but noticed the moon peeking outside her window. Realising she hadn’t yet finished her homework due for the next day, she jumped out of bed and hastily settled her books and school supplies on her desk.

_How irresponsible!_

She began her work, and would have continued with her homework, even if it took her all night, if not for the growling of her stomach that reminded her she hadn’t eaten a single thing since lunch. The school cafeteria was already closed, so she decided to fill her stomach with junk food from the vending machine that was in the first floor. If she was honest, she’d always found the Torrington Academy somewhat creepy at this hour of the night, when most of the lights were turned off; considering all the supernatural events that had took place in the school’s grounds this seemed something completely rational and logical to her.

The girl moved silently through Torrington’s halls, until she found the vending machine. While she was trying to decide on a treat, she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. She jerked up, dropping the coins she carried with her to the floor.

“Martin Mystery! That isn’t funny!” she shouted turning to face her brother, whose boisterous laughter had betrayed immediately. “What are you doing here?”

“Same as you, sis,” he answered, pointing at the vending machine. “Can’t sleep?”

Diana limited herself to collect her coins and put them into the machine, without uttering a single answer; she’d picked a chocolate bar that, although not nutritious in the slightest, contained enough sugar to keep her awake for the rest of the night.

“Well, it seems you’re back to normal, Di. As ‘normal’ as someone like you can be. Are you sure there isn't anything you’ll like to confess? Perhaps some ‘extra parts’ you’d like to talk about?” inquired Martin with his hands inside his pockets, laughing at his own joke. It seemed that Diana wasn’t the only one that hadn’t bothered to put on her pajamas.

“Leave me alone, Martin.” Diana crossed her arms and looked at him with disdain. “I can’t believe that you are still making jokes about it.”

“Oh, come on Di, you know I can’t help it. It’s just _too_ funny.”

“I never joke about the times you've been transformed into something, and let me remind you that they've been plenty.”

Martin nervously scratched the back of his neck. Diana hadn’t lied at all; if someone asked her, her favorite occasion was when he turned into a big baby, diaper and soother included.

“But at least I didn't try to destroy The Centre. Or let a monster loose inside the headquarters,” he replied triumphal.

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

She’d enough with that guilt that consumed her from the inside, only for him to continue rubbing his supposed moral superiority on her face. Why he couldn’t leave her alone? Wasn’t enough for him to humiliate her by getting a higher score, not only on the school’s test, but also on The Center’s evaluation? Wasn’t enough for him to be considered the better agent of the two?

“Shut up, just _shut up_.”

Martin backed up a few of steps, visibly surprised by those simple words. An apoplectic rage had seized Diana.

“Eh, calm down sis, it was only a joke,” he said raising both hands, apparently in sing of defeat.

Diana turned around, ready to go back to her dorm room; the last thing she wanted now was to have argument with her stepbrother, however, it seemed he wasn't going to let her leave him in mid-sentence: he caught her by the sleeve of her shirt, making her lose her balance and slip on the slap of the halls. Diana barely had time to steady herself on the wall.

“Oops! Sorry, Di, b- “

Martin’s apology was interrupted by the girl's palm impinging on his right cheek.

He stood there, his eyes widening in surprise, unable of uttering a single word as he touched his now flushed face. This time it was she who backed away, unsure of how to react to what she’d done.

It wasn't the first time she’d hit or slapped him, but on those occasions, it had just been a game to them, something to be expected, siblings acting like siblings. Right now, Diana didn’t even know how she felt, or why she reacted in that way.

“What the _hell_ is wrong with you, Di?” Martin shouted, his hand still covering his reddened cheek. “I didn’t do it on purpose! You don’t have to act like… Like a lunatic!”

“I don’t know! I don’t know what’s wrong with me, okay? I just… I’m sick of all this! I’m sick of you, and I’m sick of The Center, and of those stupid and pointless missions! I’m tired of wasting my life away and that no one appreciates it!

Neither of them spoke or moved after she pronounced those words. Luckily for them the u-watch started beeping, interrupting that awkward moment.

“We better find Java,” Diana said gravely, and Martin could only nod. 

 

* * *

 

Going back to The Center turned out to be more emotionally taxed than she’d hoped. Although the headquarters’ appearance had improved considerably since her last visit, if she closed her eyes, she could still see the thick pieces of broken glass everywhere, the loose wires from the electrical installations, the dusty wall panels that had been overturned and set on fire during the fight against the metamoster. The blood stains, slime and other bodily fluids were now _almost_ imperceptible, but she could still see them.  

How many innocent lives were lost that day?

Diana couldn’t help noticing the almost mechanical way the agents carried out their duties. The big metal desks as well as the advanced computers were back in their proper place. Stoic and solemn, many of the agents were wearing a black ribbon on their lapel, while some others opted to wear a black armband over their right arm.

_Everything has consequences, I know that, but…_

“What are you doing, Di? Admiring your ‘little job’?”

Diana would have pounced toward her brother’s necks if it weren’t for Java’s big and strong hands that kept her at bay.

“No fight,” Java said, standing between the two teenagers with his arms extended.

“We're not fighting, Java. We’re ju-“

“Please, Diana.  _Java isn’t stupid._ ”

“I never said that he-”

“Whatever. We better hurry before you start to slap people silly; plus, I’d like to see what Billy has done with his new office.”

They walked over to the elevator, and the waiting seemed eternal to Diana. The mission hadn’t even started yet and already she wanted to go back to Torrington.

What she saw when she entered MOM’s office —Billy’s, it was Billy’s office now— took her by surprise: the place was a complete mess, with visible cracks on the walls, piles of books and thick folders stacked on the floor, and a considerable amount of debris; despite everything, the main computer and other electronics seemed to be operating again. Perhaps the cleaning crew was too busy with other sectors of the headquarters.

“Geez! And Diana complains about my room,” exclaimed Martin.

For a moment, she contemplated the idea of replying to him with a sarcastic comment, but decided that it was better to ignore him. If Martin thought she was going to forgive him so easily he was sorely mistaken.

She refused to let a habit beat her.

 “Hi guys!” Billy greeted them as he stepped out from under the new and shiny mahogany desk, carrying an armful of folders and thick manila envelopes. “Please excuse the mess. As you can see, there’s still much to sort out; whole sectors to clean up, raids to organize, prisoners to interrogate... There’s still so much work to do.”

_Prisoners? Raids?_  Diana thought; she decided not to read too much on that information at the time. There’d be time to discuss in detail the consequences of the attack with Billy… or with MOM. Preferably without Martin in the same room.

Diana had already become used to her friend’s human form, so it was odd for her to see the little alien without his suit and standing in front of them, his flying saucer forgotten in some corner of the office. Giving him the same treatment as MOM’s was even stranger since, if she was completely honest, Billy wasn’t exactly a leader.

“Java help Billy.”

“Don’t worry Java, I have everything under control. I think so.”

Martin plopped down on one of the purple velvet armchairs, crossed his legs and placed both hands behind his head, while Diana and Java helped Billy, despite the latter’s protests.

“Where are we going today, Billy? Oh, I know! How about Miami? Hawaii? Really, any beach is fine, as long as we can find girls in bikinis.”

“Oh! Java want visit Japan!”

“Japan? Why?” Martin asked.

“Want to try sushi.”

“Good idea, big guy! And we could go to one of those temples, maybe meet a beautiful priestess, you know what people sa-”

“Can’t you think of anything else, Martin?” questioned Diana, holding the bridge of her nose.

“It's not my fault women find me irresistible, Di.”

Diana rolled her eyes. How could anyone deceive himself to such a degree? Martin was far from being a Ladies’ man, which was obvious to anyone.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Martin, but today your team will go to Greece,” Billy said with a playful tone to his voice.

“Greece?” Diana asked.

“To the Vikos–Aoös National Park to be precise,” answered Billy, giving Diana a thick manila folder, “We have received reports of the disappearance of several workers, as well as some hunters in the area.”

“Construction workers and hunters at a National Park? Aren't hunting, fishing, deforestation and the building of human settlements, prohibited?” questioned Diana, her tone like that of someone reciting a well memorised list, while she flipped through the mission’s report.

“They are, though such activities are only prohibited at the park’s core. Of course, that doesn’t stop the poachers and some inhabitants of the outlying towns. Although, well, that's not the problem, you see...”

“Greece?  _Bo-ring_ ,” interrupted Martin, apparently making sure to use the most childish tone he could find. Was he really incapable of keeping his mouth shut, even for just a second?

“Martin! Greece  _isn’t_ boring,” Diana admonished him. “For your information, there are many places in Greece that are considered a World Heritage Site, besi-”

“And? I don’t care about that. It’s not like we’re going there as tourists, we’re going there to solve a paranormal case, remember?”

The girl held on tight to the paperwork that was still in her hands and was about to say something when Billy politely cleared his throat.

“Do you want us to search for these construction workers and… for the poachers? Isn’t that a job for the police?” asked Diana, putting aside her wish to punch her stepbrother in the face and wrinkling her nose a bit: she didn’t like the idea of helping those men, disrespectful of laws and regulations. Of course, in the end she’d do it, because it was her duty, but that didn’t mean she’d to like the idea.

“Diana, that's  _our job_. If you don’t like it, you can leave The Center and join a rival organization,” Martin teased. “Oh, I forgot, you already tried that and it ended blowing up in your face.”

Diana took a deep breath.

“You were saying, Billy?” she asked, trying to ignore her brother once again. Why did he have to keep trying to provoke her?

“Oh, yes. We have not only received reports of missing workers and hunters, but loggers, tourists and even some scientists have disappeared as well. As you can imagine, the inhabitants of the nearby villages are very concerned.”

“The construction workers were building something inside the park? But that’s illegal, isn’t it?” questioned Diana.

“No, no. They were working on the nearby roads and on the towns situated on the park’s periphery when they disappeared without a trace. At first we thought that these were isolated cases, but reports of missing persons have been increasing in the last month.”

“But, how do you know it’s something paranormal? This seems more like a case for the local police.”

“Please, Diana, it’s _obviously_ something paranormal, The Center wouldn't call us otherwise,” interrupted Martin, rolling his eyes.

“Yes, our sensors  _did_  detect paranormal activity in the area, however, you are the first group of agents we sent to conduct a thorough investigation, because…”

“Oh, can we leave for Greece in the morning, Billy? It's way past midnight, and I haven’t finished ‘studying’,” Martin said slyly, sinking further into his seat.

“Studying? Don’t make me laugh. You only want to go back and stay awake all night watching those ridiculous horror movies,” Diana said.

“They aren’t ridiculous,” he retorted.

“Actually, it’s past seven o’clock in Greece right now,” Billy said. “I know it’s a little late for you, but I needed to consider the time difference and, as you can imagine, we are currently a little short on personal because…”

_Because many agents are either dead or missing_ , Diana finished the phrase in her mind, and a shiver ran down her spine.

“Don’t worry about it, Billy, we understand,” she said smiling, and then shifted her gaze toward her partners. “Don’t we, boys?”

“Java understand. Rescue people now, sleep later.”

Martin rose from his seat and nonchalantly stuck his hands into his pockets. “All right, then let’s stop wasting more time.”

Diana crossed her arms and nodded weakly. This mission was definitely going to test her patience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Is anyone still in this fandom? English isn't my first language and I currently don't have a beta, so apologies for any grammar mistakes you might find in here.
> 
> I know Diana may seem extremely unforgiving, malicious even —especially in this first chapter—, but I'd always though that she is much more immature and jealous that she lets on. On the other hand, the third season seemed to me to be a regression of the characters: Martin is unsympathetic most of the time; Diana is much more competent in the field but, at the same time, she has become somewhat insensitive and aggressive. Not even Jenni or Marvin escape a personality change. I'll try to address this during the story, but it's important that you watch the last two episodes of the series, otherwise the behavior of the characters is going to be lacking in context


	2. You Reap What You Sow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The missions to Greece brings out the worst in the agents.

The Vikos-Aoos National Park was a place out of fairy-tales. The landscape seemed to have been taken from a painting by Monet or Gainsborough —the only two famous painters Diana could remember right now—: the sky was a cerulean blue; big mountains with steep slopes extended over the horizon and, no matter where one looked, you could see winding defiles. The trees' foliage, lush and high, were a shade of emerald green, casting shadows over the trails.

Diana shivered as an icy blast of wind struck her in the face; she pulled back a lock of brown hair from her face and started to make an improvised ponytail. The group had been travelling the same dirt path over the past few minutes even though, in theory, the ranger station shouldn't be too far from where the portal had left them. In different circumstances, she would've liked to stop and admire the scenery, but all she wanted right to solve the mystery of the disappearances and return to Torrington as soon as possible.

The young woman approached her stepbrother and unceremoniously pulled his left wrist and pressed a button on the u-watch.

"Uh, what the hell are you doing?" Martin asked.

"Checking the map, since it seems that your little brain hasn't thought about that. In case you haven't noticed it, I'm tired of walking in circles."

"Didn't Billy give you a copy of the map? I don't want you passing me your nerd bugs," Martin said with the obvious intent on getting a reaction from her. Diana continued examining the holographic map, without paying the slightest attention to that pathetic insult.

_Don't stoop to his level, Diana._

"Okay, according to this map, we're currently north-east of the town ofPapingo. The ranger station is to the south, between Papingo and Monodendri," Diana sighed heavily. The ranger station was farther than she'd calculated at first. It seemed that they'd a very long walk ahead, especially if she had to put up with her stepbrother throughout the trip.

Martin frowned and abruptly withdrew his wrist.

"Billy could've at least 'dropped' us there since the beginning. What was he thinking? He couldn't even open the portal in the correct place!"

"He's obviously very busy," Diana said curtly, partly just to go against her brother; it was obvious that Billy should've sent them to that mission with adequate clothes for the local weather, or at least considered the problem of transportation. While it was true that right now his little friend was under a lot of pressure, that was no excuse.

MOM would never have been so careless, or incompetent.

"So what? What does he think we are?" Martin asked.

"Trained special agents who happen to be physically fit," Diana replied, arching an eyebrow. "Supposedly."

Diana had never been a particularly athletic person —perhaps she could be, if she devoted a little more time to the gym and less to books—, but neither considered herself weak; after all, there were different ways to solve a mission, and not all of them involved the use of brute force. In most cases, the u-watch was more than enough to solve the conundrums they found during missions

But they never gave her a u-watch. No, they never gave her this basic tool to carry out their missions, to fight against the supernatural and the paranormal; that privilege was reserved for her irresponsible stepbrother, for some reason that she still couldn't quite understand. Didn't she deserve the same tool and recognition? She'd also helped to save the world on several occasions, yet none of that mattered during her annual evaluation.

It was unfair.

"What are you doing? Hurry up, Diana!"

Her stepbrother's voice brought her back to reality. With her mind full of new revelations and old doubts, Diana quickened her pace.

* * *

 

After a long walk, which seemed eternal to Diana, the agents reached the ranger station. Martin tried to lighten the mood on a couple of occasions, either with a joke or with a sarcastic comment, so typical of him, but Java was the only one paying him any attention. Diana had decided that, if she wanted to "survive" this mission, she'd have to learn to ignore her brother as best as she could.

"Finally! I can feel the blisters growing on the soles of my feet," exclaimed Diana, leaning onto one of the many trees that adorned the path.

"You're really overreacting, Di. I doubt your feet are going to melt just because you walked a couple of kilometres." With complete shamelessness, Martin sat down on a big rock jutting on the edge of the path, and then took off both shoes and socks. Java decided to do the same.

Diana grimaced and pinched the bridge of her nose; the smell was overwhelming.

"Please! It's not that bad," Martin said, although she noticed him wrinkling his own nose.

"Liar," Diana said in a nasal voice. "And you could at least have changed your socks."

"Java feet hurt."

"I know, buddy. I wouldn't mind a massage right now, and a cold soda." Martin crossed his legs and tilted his head back.

"Who's overreacting now? It's not like you ran a marathon o something," replied Diana, rolling her eyes. "Stop complaining, we're almost at the station. This isn't time for relaxing, Martin."

"Weren't you the one complaining about blisters?"

"Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop and… smell the roses. We've work to do, remember?"

"Oh, I see: you just like for people to hear you when you complain, but watch out if somebody else tries to do the same. That's called 'hypocrisy', sis."

Diana clenched her fists at her sides and proceeded to sit beside Java, trying to ignore the smell of his feet. She was too tired and thirsty, so she opted to save her snarky reply for another time.

Martin pulled out a chocolate bar from his pocket and began nibbling at it absently, not even bothering to offer some of it to his fellow agents.

He sure was inconsiderate.

"Well, that's all. Let's get to work, there's no time to lose, remember?" said Martin. He wiped his hands on his trousers, put on his shoes again, and rose to his feet with renewed energy, leaving the chocolate wrapper forgotten on the floor.

Diana's mouth went dry, and an acidic sensation ran down her throat. She picked up the wrapper and put it inside her backpack.

_Insolent, disrespectful..._

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted the very unkind thoughts of Diana, and she turned her gaze towards the place where the voice came: a young woman a little shorter than Diana, with olive skin and long black hair woven into a braid; she was wearing a baggy ranger uniform and a thermal jacket; her big brown eyes were wide open, her gaze scrutinizing the three agents.

"Bonjour, parlez -vous français?" Diana asked kindly; when the woman didn't answer, she added, "Do you speak English?"

"Oh, I see, you are tourists. You'll have to excuse me, my French isn't very good," replied the girl in English. "I'm sorry, but at the moment the park remains closed until further notice."

"We're not tourists," added Martin.

"We're looking for the park ranger," Diana intervened, giving her brother a slight nudge in the ribs. "Perhaps, you'd know where we can find him?"

"Oh! It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance! My name is Chloē Andreou, and I'm the local park ranger," the girl said extending her hand in a greeting.

One didn't need to be a genius to conclude that Chloē would soon become another of Martin's "conquests", Diana thought; after all, the only requirement was to be a young and slightly cute girl.

Just a second later, as it always happened, Martin was already dangerously close to the girl, holding her hand with feigned gentleness and charm.

"The pleasure is all mine, Chloē," Martin said seductively, or at least what passed as "seductive" inside his twisted little head. The girl smiled nervously and stared at the ground but didn't let go of Martin's hand.

"Martin!" Diana cried, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, trying to get him away from the girl. "Behave yourself, please."

"But I'm not doing anything wrong!" Martin pouted, releasing the girl's hand.

"You'll have to excuse my brother, Chloē, he's a bit..." Diana literally bit her tongue, stifling her wish to use the word "stupid" or "moron" to refer to her stepbrother. She considered it inappropriate for the situation, even when it was the truth. "He's a bit excitable."

"I-It's all right, Miss…"

"Lombard," Diana added. "I'm Diana Lombard, this is Java, and my obnoxious brother is called Martin Mystery. It's nice to meet you, Chloē."

Chloē shook hands with each of the agents; Diana couldn't help noticing that both Martin and the girl blushed furiously when their hand met.

Diana snorted. Typical. Nothing good could come out of that.

"I see, you must be agents sent by The Center. I'm glad you have arrived."

"Wait a second! How do you know we're agents? We haven't said anything about that," Martin exclaimed.

Chloē stared at him and then smirked. Was she making fun of them?

"It pains me to say this but it's something quite obvious. The u-watch isn't exactly an inconspicuous device," replied the girl, raising her left wrist and pointing to her own u-watch. "Frankly, I should have noticed since the beginning that you weren't tourists."

"Then, you must our contact from The Center, right?" Diana asked.

"Oh, you have a u-watch?" Martin stammered.

"Of course; I'm the only agent assigned to this sector. Surely you understand, agent Mystery, that this is our most basic tool."

Diana squinted, deep in thought. What the girl said was completely logical —despite the slightly condescending tone she'd used—, and something she'd considered before; until now, most of the agents they'd met possessed their own u-watch, even rookie agents like Marvin received one, no matter how effective they were in the field.

And yet there she was, without her own u-watch, being forced to rely on Martin, her contributions and victories ignored or undervalued.

It just wasn't fair.

"Great! Maybe you and I could team up, huh?" Martin's mischievous smile made Diana shiver. Did her stepbrother know no shame?

Attempting to make the situation less awkward for everyone, Diana asked, "It's this cold weather normal here during May?"

"Yes, it's normal, although the temperatures hadn't dropped this much before. If you wish, agent Lombard, I can lend you a jacket; I have several at the station.

"Thank you, really, you've no idea how-"

"One for me too, please!" Martin cried out.

"Of course, do you need anything else?" Chloē said.

"Shoes," Java said, pointing to his feet.

"Oh, I think I have some hiking boots, but I'm not sure if I have them in your size, Java," Chloē replied putting a hand to her cheek.

"Java understand," he said crestfallen.

Chloē guided the small group the rest of the journey, during several flights of stairs, up to the ranger station that rested on top of a hill. It seemed recently built, and the only human settlement one would find in several kilometres.

The cabin's interior was cosy and warm, decorated in a distinctive rustic style. Chloē led them to a small living room. As soon as she left the room, Martin plopped down on one of the leather sofas and put his feet on the coffee table.

"Martin! Stop doing that!" Diana protested. "And, please, try to behave like a  _decent_ person, even if it's only for this mission."

"Don't start, Di. Why do you always have to take everything  _so_ seriously?"

"I don't take everything 'seriously', it's just that you are  _incapable_  of acting with seriousness."

"Whatever you say, Di," Martin answered. "You're incapable of having fun; in fact, I bet you don't even know what that word means."

"It's obvious that I have a larger vocabulary than yours, you imb…" Diana discreetly cleared her throat before continuing, "knucklehead."

"'Knucklehead'? Are you too good to swear now?" Martin asked slyly.

Before Diana could answer to the taunts of her brother, Chloë entered the room; she carried a large cardboard box with her, which then she deposited on the living room's floor.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

"Yes, of course, everything is fine; it's just a... squabbling between siblings, you know, the usual," Diana answered nervously as she glanced at Martin.

"Ah, I see." The young agent smiled from ear to ear. "It must be difficult having to work together for so long."

"You've no idea," said Martin under his breath. He rose from his seat and walked up to the young woman, with every intention of flirting with her. "Do you have siblings, Chloē?"

"Sisters. I'm the youngest."

"Oh, really? How many sisters do you have?"

"You're very kind, Chloē," interrupted Diana. "Thanks for helping us with our mission. By the way, don't worry about being so formal around us, it's unnecessary."

"It's really nothing, Agent Lombard. I'm only following the protocol," the young woman replied, blushed slightly. "Are you sure you want me to refer to you on a first-name basis?"

"Of course!" Diana hurriedly answered. The formal but cold way of the agent made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "All of this formality is unnecessary, I assure you."

"Very well," Chloē said smiling once again.

Martin sighed just like a lovesick fool. _Perfect, just perfect_ , Diana thought; the last thing she needed was for her brother to be distracted by a pretty girl, just like he did in every mission.

Perhaps, at this point, she should already be used to his childish behaviour.

"What other information can you give us about the situation?" asked Diana, making sure to pronounce every word with clarity. She didn't want to appear overly casual in front of such a professional agent like Chloē.

"All I know about it is in the report I sent to the Center. I can tell you that these disappearances began a year ago."

"A year ago? Why didn't you send a report before?" Martin snapped.

Chloē shuddered at Martin's words, almost as if he'd slapped her. Diana gave her brother the sternest look she could find; she hated seeing Martin intimidate someone as harmless as this girl.

"I-I, that is... I did s-send the report three weeks ago but received no answer. I c-couldn't communicate with headquarters, at least not recently..."

"Didn't you hear about what happened? The Center was attacked," Martin asked with obvious surprise in his voice.

" _Attacked_? Agent Mystery, what are you talking about? What happened?

This time, Diana stomped lightly on her brother's foot. Dammit, why did he always have to open his mouth and make everything worse?

"A-ah, yes, but you don't have to worry. They already have everything under control," Diana stammered, and then turned to Martin, "Right, Martin?"

"Sure, everything is under control now," he said raising both eyebrows and crossing his arms over his chest.

"But, what happened? I haven't gotten any report on the matter."

"Oh, nothing serious, just 'occupational hazards', and all… that stuff, you know…" said Diana, trying to calm down the girl. God, why did she have to ask so many questions?

"Billy boss now," added Java.

"Billy? What happened to MOM? Is she okay? Where could I get a list of the casualties?" Chloē asked, she was getting out of breath and looked about to collapse.

 _Casualties._ It was to be expected for her to care about fellow agents and the other Center workers, but hearing that word out loud made everything more _real_ for Diana.

_It wasn't my fault. It wasn't._

"She's... let's just say she took a 'sabbatical'," replied Diana. "Look, I promise to tell you everything in detail later, right we should focus on the mission, don't you think so?"

Chloë nodded, even though she still looked unconvinced by those explanations.

The four agents spent the next hour discussing the disappearances. According to Chloē, most of them had occurred in the core of the park, near the Vikos Gorge. Two major villages were located a few kilometres from the gorge: Monodendri and Vitsa; the young woman suggested both villages as a starting point for their investigation, arguing that some tourists and villagers had witnessed new disappearances only a week before, so their testimony could be useful for the agents. Martin insisted on going to investigate the heart of the matter. In the end, they opted to walk to the centre of Vikos Gorge, the place where the Centre's devices had registered the highest levels of paranormal activity.

"Too bad Chloē can't come with us," Martin said, settling over his shoulder the heavy backpack. After Chloē gave them a map, directions, and provisions, the three agents were on their way.

"You heard her, she says she hasn't got that much field experience," Diana retorted. "Although I admit that her u-watch would've been very useful."

"With or without experience, I would've loved to work with her. She was so cute and sweet..."

"Don't start, Martin," Diana snapped.

"Ah, well, let's start walking again." Martin snorted in disagreement. "With all this experience in walking, I think I could join Torrington's camping club."

Java nodded and chuckled. Diana continued deliberately ignoring Martin; it seemed her stepbrother was incapable of picking subtle hints because he kept trying to make conversation with her.

"Hey, Di, I don't get why you're still so mad at me," he said while "Isn't it better to leave all that in the past? At least that what everybody always says, 'The past is the past'. I mean, I already forgave you ... sort of."

Hearing these words Diana stopped in mid-step. She could feel the blood rushing to her head and an emptiness in the pit of her stomach.

"Leave 'that' in the past? Martin, how can you say that? Don't you feel guilty about what happened?"

Martin spun on his heels, cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Why do I have to feel 'guilty'? I didn't do anything wrong."

Out of the corner of her eye, Diana saw Java stopping at the edge of the roads, perhaps in an attempt to escape the arguing that was about to begin.

"Em-pa-thy. Remember, Martin? That's what you lack, empathy; or it's that a very advanced word for you?" Diana stared at the floor, and then murmured, "If you hadn't pushed me…"

"Hmp! Now you want to blame me for your mistakes?"

"You pushed me to that! Did you actually think I was going to tolerate your mockery?"

"Stop playing the victim, Di! I'm the one who should be angry! You're the one who betrayed us!"

The girls pressed her lips together in a thin line.

"I know! Don't you think I know? Every day you make sure I never forget! I've had enough! I'm not the only one who makes mistakes!"

_Besides, it wasn't my fault._

"Don't compare my 'mistakes' to yours. At least I accept my 'mistakes'," Martin replied defensively.

"Please! You _always_ do something stupid during and after the missions, you get into trouble, you make Java and me get you out of said trouble," Diana retorted, pointing a finger to her caveman friend, "and then you pretend you learned a 'lesson' from everything, but the next week you're making the same mistake. And I'm supposed to believe _you're_ the better agent of the two of us?"

"Aha! So, that's what this is all about," he exclaimed raising his index finger in a sign of triumph. "I can't believe you're still jealous because I got a better score than you, even though the Center's mainframe ending up downgrading my evaluation anyway." Martin narrowed his eyes and looked at the girl with outright hostility. "It's never enough, is it, Di? You always need to be perfect, you always need to be the best; you don't care about anything or anyone else."

 _I'm better than you_ , Diana thought. Determined to end the conversation, she began walking again over the dirt path.

"You know what? You're pathetic," Martin muttered. He took a couple of steps back as if he was expecting Diana's slap. Rather than stoop to his level, the girl spun around. "Where are you going?" he asked curtly.

"To Monodendri, to interview the witnesses. Something that is your job, but apparently, you forgot how to do it."

"By yourself?" Martin pondered, his smirk waning for the first time ever since they'd left Torrington behind.

"I don't need you to take care of me, Martin. Not now, nor ever."

"Diana…" murmured Java.

"I'll be fine, Java. You better stay with Martin; who knows what he'll do if we leave him alone."

The girl walked away with steady steps. She'd had enough of the childish and arrogant attitude of her stepbrother. She didn't need him, or anyone. She'd solve this mission by herself, and then she'd have the pleasure of rubbing it on his face.

"Fine! Do whatever you want! I couldn't care less if something happens to you!" Martin shouted. "By the way, you're going in the opposite direction, dummy."

* * *

Diana was certain she'd seen that oak tree before. Even though she carried a map with her, it was still a difficult task to decipher exactly at which point in the forest she was, especially when the mountains of Vikos Gorge were her only point of reference, and that all the annotations in her map were written in Greek.

 _Relax, Diana_ , _take a deep breath,_ the girl thought as she placed the map on the floor to examine it more closely. Berating herself for never having learned Greek, she tried to decipher the route she should follow.

Dammed Martin, damned the moment he got that u-watch, damn...

Diana screamed in horror. _Something_ was crawling up her ankle.

She sprang to her feet, trying to break free from the roots that held her leg. A thick fog blanketed the entire area; yes, this was definitely a supernatural event. She hastily picked up the map from the ground and began to run.

She ran without looking back and without knowing where to go. The sharp tree branches tore at her jacket and her cheeks; a searing pain burned at her lungs and at the soles of her feet.

_What are you doing? Stop and think! Analyse the situation!_

She spotted a stone bridge in the distance and under it a shallow river —or what seemed to be a shallow river from her height, considering the almost vertical slope of the hills. She accelerated her run —not hoping to make it to bridge— when something held her by the ponytail, and she fell backwards to the ground.

"Let me go! Don't touch me!"

With an almost inhuman effort, she managed to escape from the thick root that held her arms and legs. Exhausted and panting, she leaned against an oak tree to keep her balance. As soon as her hand met the tree trunk its thick branches wrapped tightly around her arms. She kicked and scratched at the trunk with all the strength and brutality she could muster until it decided to release her-

Perfect, now she was talking about a tree as if it were a person. She was losing her sanity, without a doubt.

Blinded by the fog and by the blood dripping from her forehead, the girl tripped over the gravel that now adorned the road; she rolled down the hill, slamming into the rocks, scraping elbows and knees. She tried futilely to protect her head with her arms.

Her eyelids were heavy, but Diana finally managed to open her eyes. She was surprised to see the sky, which has now turned a dark grey.

She hadn't expected to wake up again.

She fought backs the tears, tried to save what little pride she had left. The blood began sprouting copiously from her nose and from the wound on her right arm; she caught a glimpse of the something whitish going through her skin. Her arm had been twisted in such way that the humerus perforated her elbow.

Just how much time had she spent rolling down that hill and at what velocity?

She tried to analyse the situation in which she was. It was the only thing distracting her from the pain.

She recalled her first aid training: the most important thing to do right now was to stay motionless, she especially needed to keep her arm still, and put pressure on the wound to stop the blood loss. If she screamed for help she risked herself to be found by those creatures but unless she received immediate medical care, her wound could become infected, and she could even lose her arm.

 _Don't move your arm. Whatever you do, don't move your arm_ , she thought desperately, biting inside her cheek to stifle her cries of pain.

Unable to contain herself anymore, she let her tears flow freely from her eyes. She sobbed and tried to wipe her face with her right arm, and it was then she'd an epiphany: if she'd her own u-watch she wouldn't be in this precarious situation. She'd have been able to defend herself from that supernatural attack.

Diana thought about those few weeks when she worked for the CIHL, and in how she managed to capture all the monsters without needing to be saved by her brother on any occasion. She'd done it alone, proving that she was more than capable of being an agent on her own, if only she'd the right tools. She was more than capable of becoming _the best agent._

Why did he get a u-watch and she didn't? That was something she always wondered, ever since she began working for the Center; however, with all the distractions of the missions and her school work, she'd stopped questioning it, storing her doubts in the depths of her mind. Now, lying there on the wet grass, with a broken arm and wounds that bled profusely, she could see everything clearly.

She had the potential to outperform Martin. She was certain of it.

She heard footsteps, somebody or something was approaching; and then she fainted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This is the new version of chapter two, for those that had read this before. I only modified some scenes related to Chloë and her interactions with out agents, but these changes were minimal. I hope you like them.


	3. Thicker than Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Diana gone, Martin and Java will need to seek the help of Agent Chloē.

"I'm serious, Java: that's the same oak tree from moments before. I recognise it," Martin asserted. He and Java had been walking around Vikos Gorge for over an hour now, but they weren't getting anywhere.

"How Martin know? Trees look same," the caveman observed.

Indeed, the oak and fir trees that now dominated the path were completely identical in appearance; besides, the few road signs they had found so far were written in Greek. How was he supposed to read Greek?

Martin pushed a button on the u-watch and the holographic map materialised in front of him.

"This is very weird: according to this map, we're going in the right direction but…"

"Strange," murmured Java.

"Yes, I know, Jav. It's like we're walking in circles."

"No. Talk about sky," Java said, pointing at the clouds that now swirled above their heads.

Martin raised his gaze from the u-watch and looked toward the horizon: Not only the sky had turned a dark grey—it was too early for nightfall—but also not a single animal could be seen or heard in the vicinity. The forest had turned deadly silent in just a second.

"Yes, that's really weird too. Ah! Dammit! I bet the u-watch is broken or something," Martin said, shaking his left wrist. "Stupid piece of crap always has to break at the worst times."

"Martin…"

"One would think the Center would've better quality control, but no." Martin continued his rant, gently tapping at the u-watch screen. "How I'm supposed to save the world with this 'basic equipment' if it doesn't even work? What I wouldn't give to have that CIHL watch!"

"Martin!"

Still frowning, the boy turned his gaze to where his caveman friend was pointing. He rubbed his eyes a couple times, unable to believe what he was seeing: a thick fog had appeared out of nowhere and was now creeping toward them as if it had a life of its own.

"Okay, that's definitely something supernatural. In your face, Diana!" he exclaimed triumphally.

But of course, his sister wasn't with them anymore.

_Stepsister, not sister. Stepsister. It's an important difference._

Dammit, why did he feel so guilty after their last fight? Nothing of what had happened was his fault; besides, Diana was the one who had started it, with her ridiculous face slapping and her perpetual shit-under-her-nose expression.

Ever since they were children, Diana had always been unable to accept when she was wrong, or when she failed, or when someone was better than her at something. There were times during their childhood when he'd hated her for it—sometimes, he still hated her—and the hatred seemed to be reciprocated.

No, the hatred was _absolutely_ reciprocated.

"What to do now?"

"Huh? Well, we should see where this fog comes from, Jav. It's not like we've many options here." Before Java could protest, Martin added, "Don't worry about Diana, I guarantee you that 'Miss Know-it-all' came to the same conclusion as us… or maybe right now she's trying to explain everything with one of her useless 'scientific theories'."

Martin sighed. How was he supposed to solve this case if he couldn't even see beyond his nose or get out of this _stupid_ forest?

"More fog."

"Yes, I noticed it, Jav," replied Martin, rolling his eyes. "I think it's time for a slime scan!"

Martin pushed a button on the u-watch and, this time, a small test tube materialised in front of him. He waited for the fog to wrap around them, then he collected a few dew droplets and introduced the sample into the scanner.

"Let's see… nothing out of the ordinary here. What a disappointment."

"Martin hear that?"

"Mmm?"

"Sound like… something crawling."

"Something that crawls?" questioned Martin, without looking up from the u-watch "What are you talking about?"

The fog was getting thicker, completely preventing any visibility. When Martin finally looked up from the u-watch's screen, he discovered that his gigantic friend was no longer at his side.

"Java? Java, where are you?"

Martin fumbled his way through the fog. He drew from his arsenal the alphas goggles, hoping that they'd help him find his caveman friend; however, the goggles didn't register any heat reading.

It was as if Java had disappeared from the face of the earth.

"Java!"

Nothing.

"What the hell is happening here?" Martin whispered to himself. He kept trying to make his way through the fog; the creepy sound of dead leaves breaking beneath his feet was all he could hear.

Until he overheard Java's cries of pain.

With adrenaline coursing through his veins and all his muscles now tense, he started running toward the place where he thought the caveman's screams had originated. He made it there just in time to catch a glimpse of his gigantic friend being thrown up in the air as if he were a simple rag doll.

"Java!"

Before Martin could reach Java, a pair of thick branches grabbed him by the ankle. He futilely struggled against his attacker; seeing no other solution, he pulled out the I-cutter and lunged at the branches that kept him prisoner.

Martin could swear the oak tree had uttered at almost feral cry when one its branches were cut off.

 _You're imagining things,_ he said to himself _._

Martin scrambled to his feet and, after taking off the heavy backpack from his back, he began running again toward his friend's screams. No matter where he ran, he always ended up bumping into a tree; it was as if they were following him.

Another pair of thick branches grabbed him by the legs and by the arms, preventing him from reaching his u-watch. Unable to move, Martin grunted in frustration. His cries and protests were abruptly silenced when another of the branches tangled around his neck, squeezing his windpipe.

The air didn't enter his lungs. Not enough oxygen was going to his brain.

Martin was asphyxiating.

Some people say that when you're about to die you can see your whole life pass before your eyes; Martin always believed this was nothing more than a bunch of bullshit. He was losing consciousness, and all he could think about was that _he didn't want to die_.

The world around him became a blur.

A howl filled his ears. Martin fell heavily on his back and then fainted.

He awoke a couple of minutes later. His neck ached, and he began coughing with desperation. Dazed and disoriented, he lay back again over the soft leaves.

When he finally managed to focus his sight, he was greeted by Chloë's anguished face. She was kneeling in front of him.

"Chloë?" Martin asked in a small voice, between coughing fits.

"You better stay put, Martin. Can you tell me how serious are your injuries?"

"I-It's nothing…" he muttered weakly. He drew in a deep breath and then tried to sit up, but the fatigue and the pain were stronger than him. "Where are Diana and Java?"

Martin grimaced when he realised what he'd asked.

He told himself he'd done that out of habit and nothing more, or maybe out of a sense of duty. Yes, of course, that was the only reason. As much as he hated Diana right now, she was still part of his family, and he couldn't help worrying about her, he simply couldn't; besides, what would his father or mother say if he returned home without her? He was certain they'd never forgive him.

"Java is fine. I'm sorry, but I don't know where your sister might be," the girl replied, pointing with her index finger at the large caveman. Martin sighed with relief when he saw his friend, who appeared to be just a little bewildered.

"Chloë, I'm really happy to see you but, what are you doing here?"

The girl averted her gaze before answering. "I... I felt guilty after you left, after all, I'm also a Center agent; I thought you might need my help and… I just couldn't abandon you. I mean, I d-don't know how much I can h-help you, but I will do what I can."

Martin smiled at her. He pressed his hand over his sore neck and realised that the branches had left marks on his skin; he was certainly going to spot bruises the next day.

Those freaking trees had tried to _kill him._

"Are you all right?" the girl asked, her eyebrows furrowing in consternation.

"Y-yes, of course, I just need… to catch my breath." With a bit of difficulty, Martin managed to prop himself on his elbows, "We need to find Di, she could be in danger."

"Agent Lom-, Diana? What happened to her? Why isn't she with the two of you?"

Martin bit his lower lip, feeling _almost_ embarrassed.

"Well, it's because we had a fight. Diana decided to investigate on her own."

"I see," Chloë said dryly. She stood up and then wiped her hands on her jacket. "Please wait here, I think I saw your backpacks over there; I'm going to bring them over."

"There's no time to waste, we need to find Diana before she gets hurt."

The young woman nodded.

"I understand your concern, Martin, but first you two need to get some rest. Neither you or Java are fit to continue with the investigation, at least not at the time being."

"But…"

"Wait here, please."

"Hey, stop! Come back here!" Martin shouted, but the girl didn't pay attention to him.

Chloë's figure disappeared behind the thick fog as Martin finally managed to get to his feet; panting heavily and with a cold sweat still running from his forehead, he walked toward Java, who was resting below the shadow of a fir.

"Are you all right, Java? How are you feeling?"

"Head and back hurt," the caveman answered, touching his neck with both hands.

"I hear you; I feel like a truck ran me over. Strangling isn't something I want to experience ever again," the boy asserted in a jovial tone.

"Think Diana okay?" asked Java as he rose to his feet without any apparent effort. He certainly was a lot tougher than Martin.

"I don't know, buddy. I hope so," Martin murmured. Betrayal or no betrayal, fight or no fight, he wasn't going to let anything or anyone to hurt his sister; not if he could help it. "Come on, Java, we have to go find Di."

"What we do with Chloë? Can't leave her here."

Martin let out a sigh of resignation; even if Chloë didn't like the idea, his priority right now was to find Diana. While it was true that the girl had just saved their life, and that her u-watch could be extremely useful considering the dangers that surely lay ahead, he didn't want to have to keep walking on eggshells every time he talked with her. Chloë seemed to be someone very sensitive, and it was difficult to know how she would act if things got more dangerous than they already were.

_But… she came all the way here and even saved us. Maybe she isn't as delicate as she looks._

Nevertheless, they couldn't just walk away and leave the girl to fend for herself in the forest, much less with all those murderous trees around.

After about ten minutes, Chloë came back with the two backpacks. She placed them on the ground and then gave the boys two bottles of water, plus a pair of nutrition bars.

"Then, it's time to continue with our investigation, don't you guys think so?" Martin asked, putting the bar wrapper in one of his pockets.

"But walk in circles. Java not want that again."

Chloë blinked a couple of times, confused by the caveman's words.

"Don't remind me! This freaking forest…" Seeing the disapproving look on the girl's face, Martin swallowed hard and then cleared his throat. "I mean, Java and I were walking in circles, shortly before that fog appeared and the oak trees attacked us. Do you have any idea of what's going on, Chloë?"

"N-no, I r-really don't know," the young woman answered, averting her gaze once again. "I'm really sorry. I wish I could be of more help."

"Don't worry," Martin said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder and squeezing it in a comforting gesture. "We've come out of worse situations, trust me."

"Where to now?" Java asked.

"I believe it's best if we stick to the original plan. We need to find those missing persons as soon as possible." Chloë said.

"Diana could be hurt, or worse!" Martin shouted.

"I-I understand y-your concern, Martin." Chloë stared at the ground for a moment, but quickly looked up again at Martin and, clenching her fists at her sides, she said, "Listen to me: Diana could be anywhere in the forest, and we have no idea of where to start looking for her. Our duty as agents of The Center is to prioritise our mission; we have to rescue the missing persons, and end the danger that lurks in these woods."

"Duty? Duty!" he shouted, grabbing the girl by the shoulders. "I don't care about that! I care about my sister!"

"Let go of me, agent Mystery," she said sternly.

Somewhat surprised by her tone, Martin released the girl's shoulders and blushed.

"I get that you're worried for your sister well-being, but I'm certain she can take her of herself; after all, she is also a trained agent. Is she not?"

Chloë's almost grim look made the hairs on the back of Martin's neck stand up.

"You don't get it. Diana's safety is my responsibility."

"I understand it better that you think." The girl held Martin's gaze. "Even though I'm the youngest, my job is to look after the welfare of my family, above everything else."

"Are you talking about your sisters? Are they… your responsibility?" Martin asked. Chloë nodded.

Neither of them spoke or made a move; they just stood there, staring at each other in an uncomfortable silence.

"I see that I won't change your mind," she finally said, crossing her arms over her chest and sighing with resignation. "All right, I'll help you find your sister, but I really think it would be best to continue with the investigation."

"I know… but please understand, I can't just simply abandon my sister."

Even when it hurt his pride to admit it, it was difficult for Martin to objectively analyse his options; after all, her sister was the smart one, the rational one, the perceptive one, and the one who had the ability to compartmentalise her emotions.

At least, that was what everybody always told him.

 _Come on_ , _you can solve this case by yourself. You don't need Diana_.

No, of course he _didn't_ need Diana; she was the one who needed him, and it had always been that way. But now she was alone, lost in a forest full of murderous trees and without any way of defending herself.

He had failed her.

To hell with that! It wasn't his fault, she was the one who betrayed him first, the one who betrayed them all. She was the one who joined a rival organization that almost destroyed The Center, simply because she couldn't stand the idea that he, the silly and mediocre Martin Mystery, was admired by someone. She was the one who hadn't been suspended or punished for what she'd done, instead, they simply gave her a pat on the shoulder and accepted her back with open arms.

She was the one who proved to be the better agent of the two.

It seemed that Diana didn't need him anymore, it seemed that she had become better than him in something she didn't even care about—Diana, the eternal, stubborn sceptic— and that was what made him angrier.

Being an agent was the only thing he had —the only thing he was good at—, his greatest pride, and he wasn't going to let Diana take that away from him, just like she had already taken away so many other things.

_"And I'm supposed to believe you're the better agent of the two of us?"_

_"I don't need you to take care of me, Martin. Not now, nor ever."_

"Agent Mystery?"

Chloë's voice made him come back to his senses.

"Oh, yes, what is it?" he asked absently.

"Martin okay?" wondered Java.

"Yes, of course. I was just thinking." Martin scratched the back of his neck. "Chloë, think you can guide us to Vikos Gorge?"

"Of course, but why?" Chloë asked a bit sharply. "I-I mean… I thought you would rather take the lead and look for your sister."

"Well, yes," Martin blushed slightly, "but you're the park ranger, I'm guessing you must know these roads better than us," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Trust me, Java and I are already tired of walking in circles."

"Right." The young woman arched an eyebrow. "But, what will happen to agent Lombard? You just said to me that you couldn't abandon her. What made you change your mind so suddenly?"

"It's just... She'll be fine. You said it yourself: she's agent and can take care of herself," Martin said, without much confidence in his own words. He fixed his eyes forward and straightened his posture, shifting his shoulders back. "Let's move on. We've a mission to fulfil."

Martin had decided: He'd find the missing persons, he'd catch whoever was behind all of this, and he'd solve this investigation without Diana's help; he would prove to everybody that he didn't need her, that she _wasn't_ better than him.

With renewed determination, Martin, Java and Chloë set off toward the centre of Vikos Gorge.

 

* * *

 

The fog that had preyed on them moments before had now completely disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place; the sky had recovered its usual blue colour. Chloë pushed her way through the profuse vegetation with ease, and now the winding, steep path led them along of the many cliffs that dominated the landscaped. Martin walked slowly behind the girl, while Java lagged considerably behind both.

At times, the girl would stop her march and place her hands on the tree trunks, as if she was waiting for these to show her they way. Martin wondered if it was some form of navigation that he didn't know about.

"Why need to go up?" Java asked as he wiped away the sweat that dripped from his forehead.

"What's wrong, Jav? Don't tell me you're afraid of heights," pondered Martin, stopping his walk for a second. The caveman nodded. "Don't worry, we're almost there, right?"

"That's correct," answered Chloë as she cracked a tiny smile toward the caveman. "You don't need to be afraid, Java."

"But it's a good question," Martin added, "Why are we going up? Where are we going?"

"This will allow us to get a panoramic view of the forest. Besides, we still must reach the hiking trail that runs through Vikos Gorge, and this is the fastest way to do it," the girl answered. "That trail is also the safest way to get to the heart of the park."

"Oh, right, right, you're the park ranger, Chloë. I mean, the agent, park agent?" the boy stammered as he kicked aside one of the smalls rocks that were on the path. At least Chloë was calling him by his first name again.

Maybe, when this was all over, she'd ask her out.

Martin shook his head. No, Diana was in danger, this wasn't the time to be thinking about that.

Or maybe it was. After all, Diana wasn't there to mess with his love affairs, or to lecture him as only she knew how. Why did she care so much whether he dated a girl or not? It wasn't his fault that she was pathetic and utterly unpopular at the academy, or that she frightened all the boys who approached her with her seriousness and bad temper.

Of course, he'd been worried about the kind of boys his sister noticed—there was a time when Diana had been interesting in Marvin. Did she have no self-respect?—, but that was something completely different; he had never intervened directly between Diana and her potential "boyfriend", not even when he was a dumb, obnoxious person such as Marvin. Besides, protecting Diana was his duty, not the other way around.

Yes. This was the perfect moment to ask Chloë _that_ important question.

"Hey, Chloë, I was wondering if you… well...," Martin began to say.

"Yes? What is it?" she asked, slightly shifting her gaze toward him, but without stopping her march.

"I was thinking… you know, when we rescue those people, I mean, _after_ we rescue them…

Martin gulped. The words didn't want to come out of his mouth, no matter how hard tried to pull the out.

"Pretty," murmured Java. He'd stopped to gaze at the landscape that stretched before them: the steep limestone walls of the cliffs surrounded a narrow river, which in turn zigzagged along through the forest, and then disappeared into the horizon.

From that height, they could hardly distinguish the roofs of the houses. Martin wondered exactly how many people lived in those towns and villages and if they were aware of the events that had transpired in the park. He wondered if they'd lost friends or family to whatever it was that haunted those woods.

Would they find the missing people alive?

A chill ran down his spine. Truth to be told, he hadn't really thought about the possibility that there weren't any people to be rescued—he didn't want to—, that too much time had passed and all those lives had been lost forever.

That he, yet again, had failed as an agent.

"You're right, Jav." The young man let out a sigh, his frustrated attempts at flirting and his growing shame now forgotten. "Can you imagine how this sky may look at night, with all those bright stars? It's the perfect view for a date."

"I had no idea you were a romantic, Martin," Chloë said, raising a hand to her chin and grinning.

"Oh, I-I'm not, I just think…" he muttered, a blush spreading to the tips of his ears. He'd said the first thing that came to his mind, and now he regretted it. He didn't want Chloë to think he was a _sensitive_ guy and, therefore, someone pathetic.

"Martin no romantic. Martin no luck with girls," observed the caveman.

"That's not true!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "I mean, I don't have a girlfriend right now, but it's because I don't want to, I mean, I'm… waiting for the right girl. Yes, that's it: I'm waiting for the right girl.

Chloë covered her mouth with one hand as if she wanted to hide a chuckle.

"I understand, Martin. I'm also unlucky in both courtship and romance. My sisters always say that I fall in love 'too fast' and that 'don't think things through' when it comes to these subjects." Seeing the confused look exchanged between Martin and Java, the girl blushed. "Oh, please excuse me for boring you with my love problems. I'm certain this is something you do not want to hear."

"Not at all! That doesn't bother us!" Martin said hastily, and perhaps too effusively. "I-I mean, maybe we should get on our way, don't you think so?" he added, trying to regain his composure. Chloë nodded, although her cheeks were still red as a tomato.

Damn it, why did she have to be so kind and cute? Didn't she realise she was distracting him?

 _Come on, focus. You'll have time to ask her out. You'll have time for her to reject you like all of them do,_ he thought with cynicism as he began walking again. Rejection, not only by pretty girls, was no stranger to him, and he doubted that one day it would be.

_Now you're being melodramatic. Great._

Finally, after little more than half an hour, they descended. The trail led them to a river of green and crystalline waters, which ran through the middle of Vikos Gorge. Exhausted after going up and down the countless slopes, the agents decided

"Chloë, I've got to admit," Martin said, as he plopped down on the white ground, which had a sand-like texture, "that I wouldn't mind to camp along this river bank, even if It was only for none night."

"Jave like too," said the caveman, taking the heavy backpack off his back and dropping it to the ground.

"I'm glad to hear that," Chloë said, smiling. She was standing beside Martin, her gaze serious and a bit distant. "Believe it or not, today very few people stop to appreciate the beauty of nature."

"Oh, come on, you sound like my science teacher," Martin added, rolling his eyes. "This is a National Park, isn't it? Most people who come here are campers, tourists or nerds; and the whole point of them coming here is to 'appreciate nature'."

"'Nerds'?" the girl asked, tilting her head slightly to one side.

"People like my sister: know-it-all, nerds," clarified the boy, waving his hand dismissively. "You know, those nerds who do nothing but study."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not familiar with that concept. What's wrong with studying or acquiring knowledge?"

"Believe me, if you went to Torrington Academy, or to any high school in the world, you'd understand."

"If you say so. Truth to be told, I have never attended school."

Astonished by that comment, Martin managed to ask, "You've never been to school?"

The young woman shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

"Uh… then, were you home schooled or something?"

"That's correct. I was educated alongside my youngest sisters," she answered as if this was the most natural thing in the world.

"Wow," Martin muttered, scratching the back of his neck. He'd never met a teenager in that situation. And, how old was Chloë, anyway? She didn't seem much older than he or Diana, and yet sometimes she spoke in a very strange way; sometimes she sounded more like one of those boring adults, not like a teenager. Maybe the fact that she had never attended a normal high school explained that quirk, or maybe it was because she was speaking a language that wasn't her own.

"The water isn't very deep, I think we can cross here."

"Deep or not, it is still dangerous to go outside the marked trail,"

"Agree," the caveman added.

"Come on, Java! Where's your adventurous spirit?" Martin stepped in the water, still with his shoes on. Chloë followed him closely, frowning, her gaze fixed on the water. "We can take a short cut through here."

"Please, agent Mystery, get out of there in this instant."

"In a moment, and call me Martin, please. I swear, sometimes you sound either just like my teachers back at Torrington, or like Diana. I don't know which one is worse," he said, glancing over his shoulder. The water reached him just above his knees. "Damn it, it's colder than I thought."

Martin got out of the river and, although he was still wearing his thermal jacket and hiking boots, started to shiver.

"Fine, let's go back to that dumb trail," he said, and then cleared his throat.

Chloë approached the boy and placed a hand on his forearm.

"Yes, but first you ne-"

The young agent didn't manage to finish her sentence. She flinched and backed away a couple of steps, her face suddenly contorting in both shock and horror.

"Chloë, what's wrong?" asked Martin. Her reaction had taken him completely by surprise.

"We can't stay here; we have to leave. _Now_." Chloë spun on her heels and started walking away. Martin looked around, searching for what had instilled such fear into the girl, but the only thing different in the atmosphere was the dense fog.

Fog. That meant those "creatures" were close. Chloë must have noticed it too.

"All right, let's go," Martin said as he again scanned his surroundings. He stuck his hands in his pockets and started to walk behind her.

Or he tried to, if not for the long, thick branch that now held onto his left ankle and prevented him from taking another step.

 _Here we go again,_ Martin thought as he was dragged and then lifted into the air. Still hanging upside down, he heard He readied the I-cutter.

"Martin, wait!" Chloë exclaimed. "Please, don't hurt that tree."

"What are you saying! Haven't you noticed that the tree is the one who is _trying to hurt me_?"

"Please."

Before Martin could say anything else, the girl approached the tree and placed a hand on his trunk. Martine sighed with relief as he felt the pressure on his leg dwindle.

He fell flat on his backside, mumbling a string of profanity and counting down the number of times he'd ended sprawled on the ground during this mission. He would definitely ask Billy for a vacation day as soon as he returned to the Center.

"Well, thanks for the rescue, but I can assure that I'd everything under control," Martin mumbled, wiping the dirt from his pants.

_What the hell just happened?_

"Of course," the girl said, and Martin could swear that she was making fun of him, despite her sweet smile.

"Java no like tree," the caveman said as he approached the two agents; both of his hands were clenched into fists, ready to defend himself if necessary.

Martin nodded, then headed toward the gigantic oak tree. He'd had enough of this forest, of the murderous trees, and of Chloë's secrecy. Could she be hiding something from The Center? His brain was telling him that she was, but his instinct and emotions were telling him that it was unfair to be suspicious of someone who had, so far, shown nothing but kindness.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, Chloë, but I need to take a sample of this bark and send it to the Center. This 'trees' may be the key to solving the mystery of the disappearances", Martin replied, the I-cutter gleaming in his hand.

"No! Stop!" she exclaimed, holding Martin's arm and trying, futilely, to snatch the I-cutter from his hand. "Please, don't do that. You will only make them angry."

"'Make them angry'? Who is going to be angry?"

"The spirits of this forest."

"What spirits? You never mentioned anything about spirits"

"I didn't consider it relevant at the time," she said, her brown eyes pleading. "Please, Martin, I will explain everything, I promise… but don't hurt that tree."

Martin watched the girl with narrowed eyes. It was more than obvious that she'd been lying to them and hiding information ever since they came to the park, but, why? Why bother calling The Center if she was working for these creatures?

"I'm not going to hurt the tree," Martin finally said. "I'll just take a small sample and nothing else. It'll be quick."

Chloë shook her head and tried again to snatch the I-cutter from Martin's grasp, but he surpassed her in both height and physical strength, so it wasn't very difficult for him to push her out of his way. He then approached the oak tree and began cutting off small chunks of its bark.

"How dare you!"

The voice reverberated through the forest and Martin sought its owner in the vicinity; it was certainly a female voice, but it was too grave to belong to Chloë.

"Martin, look out!" Chloë shouted behind him.

A supernatural force pushed the boy away from the oak, leaving him on the floor and out of breath. He put both hands on his abdomen, in pain.

"What…?" Martin managed to say through gritted teeth. He watched as the bark of that gigantic oak began to peel off as if it were skin. Some of its branches transformed into arms and hands, the thick roots became legs and feet, and a human silhouette—a decidedly feminine silhouette—emerged from its trunk.

The tree remained in its place, it hadn't become a human being, rather, one had formed from it.

It was a woman, with moss-colored skin and naked from head to toe; although her long hair, that seemed made from leaves, covered most of her body.

"O-oh, I guess you must be one of those 'forest spirits', or whatever you call yourselves," Martin mumbled, blushing.

"Well done, sister." The creature ignored Martin completely. Her tone was sarcastic, mocking. "Not only do I find you fraternising with the enemy, but you also _dare_ to guide them to the heart of this forest. Your actions are unforgivable." The woman narrowed her eyes at Chloë. "You are nothing but a pathetic and despicable traitor."

"Hey! Don't talk to her like that!" Martin exclaimed, despite not being sure of what was happening, or on which side Chloë was. He turned to see the girl and, in a hoarse voice, asked her, "Sister? Why did she call you _sister_?"

She didn't answer, didn't even dare to look him in the eye. She walked over to him and tried to place a hand on his forearm. Martin stepped back almost instinctively.

"Martin, please let me explain: She is one of the dryads, the nymphs that protect this forest and its surroundings."

Oak trees. Nymphs. Dryads. Of course they were dryads, how did he not noticed it before? It was so obvious. After all, they were in Greece, the place where the myth of the nymphs who lived in trees and were in charge of protecting the forest, had originated.

"You knew it, didn't you? All this time, you've been hiding them from the Center," he spat toward Chloë, his face full of rage.

"It was necessary for me to do it," she said without any intonation in her voice. "I know very well what is the fate of the supernatural creatures that are captured by the Center." She looked up at the dryad. "Sister, you need to stop. This has gone too far."

"You think so?" Martin asked sarcastically, cutting her off. "Dozens, maybe thousands of people have gone missing, but you just _now_ think this has 'gone too far'. What the hell were you thinking? How could you help these… these monsters?

"You know nothing about me or my reasons," Chloë snapped.

"Maybe, but I do know that this isn't right."

" _This_? Do you have any idea of what is going on, boy?" the dryad questioned, lifting a green and delicate hand. Martin noticed how her skin began to change into a brown colour; it was as if her entire body was now covered with a thick bark. "No, of course you do not. You 'agents' always attack and hurt before asking questions."

"Wait!" Chloë exclaimed, putting herself between Martin and the dryad.

"I am sorry, sister. We tried to reason with him and his partners, but it's obvious that they are just like all the other humans: they refuse to listen to us."

"'Listen to you'? You tried to kill us!" Martin spat. "And more than once!"

"Be quiet, human."

The dryad's arms had taken the shape of razor-sharp blades; with a simple movement of the wrist, she lunged at the agents. Martin barely managed to activate the shield-u to protect everyone from attack, including Chloë.

Once the shield vanished, Java rushed toward the dryad to try to subdue her, but the nymph simply caught him with her now gigantic hands, and unceremoniously throwing him into the air. The caveman was just getting to his feet when the dryad attacked him again, holding both his hands and feet with the help of the roots that protruded from the ground, preventing him from moving in any way.

The Dryad's eyes glowed. She was preparing to strike again.

Martin tried to dodge the attack, but his legs were now fastened to the ground. Without the u-shield, he was completely unprotected. He closed his eyes, waiting for the end.

But it never came.

When he opened his eyes again, he gasped in disbelief: in front of him, in the place Chloë had been before, was now standing a dryad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alive! I know it has been three years now but the translation of this story is still going, albeit slowly.The latest NaNoWriMo rekindled my interest in this (mediocre) story, so I already have a bunch of chapters written, they just need some polishing and, of course, translating.
> 
> Chloë and Martin as a couple? Maybe in Martin's wildest dreams; let's just say that Martin doesn't fit Chloë's preferences ;)
> 
> Thanks for all the reviews and favourites! By the way, if you want to "read ahead" and know Spanish, the original version of this story is available here too, and it's usually updated much faster.


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